NEW KENSINGTON — Nobody could have foreseen this — especially Franklin Regional.

The highest scoring team in the WPIAL — averaging 45 points per game — held to seven?

Dane Brown, a 1,900-yard rusher this season, held to 53 yards on 19 carries?

Nico LoDivico, needing 65 yards passing to reach 1,000 for the season, throwing for minus-4?

“I figured neither team would score over 28 points,” Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta said. “We have a lot of respect for their defense, and ours, too.

“But neither team scoring 10 points? No way.”

Way.

The Panthers' high-flying attack was grounded to the tune of five first downs and 91 yards total offense in Knoch's 9-7 WPIAL Class AAA football semifinal win Friday night.

“Our defense shouldn't be overlooked,” Knoch coach Mike King said. “This is the best defensive unit I've ever been around.”

When the Knights needed defense Friday, it was there.

On third-and-3 from the Knoch 27 early in the fourth quarter, Brown was brought to the turf by Andy Tuzikow for a 3-yard loss. A fourth-down pass then fell incomplete.

“We couldn't let him (Brown) get started,” Tuzikow said. “That's the key to stopping any explosive back.”

Linebacker Mike Cunningham agreed.

“Our defensive plan was to stop Dane Brown, first and foremost,” he said.

Late in the third quarter, Cunningham buried his shoulder into the chest of LoDovico on a third-and-4 play from the Panthers' 40, creating a 4-yard loss and forcing a punt.

Shortly thereafter, Cory Lauer returned his interception 25 yards to set up the Panthers' lone score of the game.

“You don't want to put your defense in bad situations,” Knoch coach Mike King said. “You want to help them out by generating first downs and moving the clock.

“We didn't do too much of that, but those kids toughed it out all night.”

Even after Franklin Regional took the lead, Cunningham stopped Brown after 2-yard gains on successive plays to force a punt.

After the Knights lost a fumble with 5:22 to play, Cunningham stopped Brown for no gain, Alex Strezeski nailed LoDovico for a yard loss, Sean Wasko and Luke Kroneberg held LoDovico to a 3-yard gain and Knoch forced another punt.

That's when the Knights drove 97 yards for the winning field goal.

“The score didn't matter. We were gonna keep coming,” Cunningham said of the defense. “You just keep hitting.”

“As a defense, we try to impose our will,” Tuzikow said. “Hit, hit, hit. Blow up plays. Make it a physical game.”

The end result is a trip to Heinz Field.

“A dream come true. This is unbelievable,” Kroneberg said. “We've won games so many different ways this year.

“If we stopped their run ing game, we figured we'd stop them. And it worked.”